All articles by Linda Stewart
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NewsFree webinar: Nuts, bolts and getting down to brass tacks in the expanding universe of microbiome stewardship
In a fascinating free webinar from the Microbes and Social Equity 2026 Speaker Series, Dr Robert Beiko PhD will take a step back to examine a fundamental question at the heart of microbiome stewardship: what exactly are we trying to protect, and why?
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NewsMember Q&A: Harta Wedari on how AMI has opened up new opportunities and communities
Dr Ni Luh Putu Harta Wedari, a medical doctor and Clinical Microbiology Specialist from Bali, Indonesia reveals how engaging with AMI has expanded her international network and unveiled new opportunities.
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NewsSmall bowel microbiome offers clues to women’s health
A new study has identified differences in the makeup and organization of the small bowel microbiome between women and men. One intriguing finding was a bacterial community containing Granulicatella, found only in women.
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NewsKazakh researchers ID antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds in native medicinal plants
Researchers have identified biologically active compounds with antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects in several plant species native to Kazakhstan, providing new chemical and experimental data on medicinal flora from Central Asia.
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NewsCurious by Nature: Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï – Can we predict the next epidemic?
Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï believes combining traditional mathematical models with artificial intelligence will improve the accuracy of epidemic forecasting and help public health leaders respond more quickly to future cholera and malaria outbreaks.
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NewsBlueberry’s waxy shield reveals clues to gray mold resistance
Botrytis cinerea is a broad-host-range necrotrophic fungus that causes gray mold in more than 1,000 plant species. In blueberry, it can damage flowers in the field and later emerge as fruit rot after harvest, reducing shelf life, shipment quality and market value. The disease is especially challenging because latent infections ...
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NewsA fourth T6SS in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa deploys the pore-forming effector TseMt
The hospital-associated pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has type VI secretion systems (T6SSs). Most reference strains encode three T6SSs, but comparative genomics has identified an additional H4-T6SS in a subset of clinical isolates.
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NewsMeningitis, hangover or freshers’ flu? Don’t dismiss serious symptoms
Students heading into freshers’ week are being warned not to assume a headache, vomiting or feeling wiped out is simply the result of a heavy night or the dreaded “freshers’ flu”. 246,089 doses of the MenB vaccine were administered to young people in England between 20 July and 31 August.
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NewsBacteria in classroom dust associated with reduced lung function in children
Common bacteria found in classroom dust are associated with reduced lung function in children according to new research, Children in classrooms with higher levels of Streptomyces had a 0.08 litres lower forced vital capacity (FVC).
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NewsBacteria can make testosterone. What could that mean for prostate cancer?
Scientists have identified an unexpected participant in androgen chemistry: a bacterium from the human urinary tract that can convert the steroid precursor DHEA into testosterone under laboratory conditions. It reveals a previously unknown microbial route to a hormone that is central to prostate biology.
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NewsResearchers find C. difficile colonization in infants reshapes gut development
Practically since its discovery, the highly contagious bacterium Clostridioides difficile has been reported to not cause symptoms in infants. But new findings suggest that the bacterium can reshape the developing infant gut and may have long-term consequences.
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NewsLess UV light may mean less carbon storage in Antarctic tundra
As the ozone layer heals, less ultraviolet radiation reaches the Antarctic surface—a change usually viewed as beneficial for living organisms. But researchers have found that reduced ultraviolet radiation can substantially weaken the ability of Antarctic tundra to absorb carbon dioxide.
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NewsScientists discover link between gut bacteria and severe liver disease
Researchers have identified what may potentially be a missing link between specific activities in gut bacteria and the liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis: the metabolite ImP, a molecule formed when certain gut bacteria break down dietary components.
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NewsWhat happens when a shoreline scavenger consumes microplastics?
Researchers report on what happens when wharf roaches, a common shoreline scavenger, eat expanded polystyrene (EPS). Analysis of the wharf roach gut microbiome showed little change, but several rare microbes were found only in the EPS-fed specimens.
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NewsResearchers test far-ultraviolet light to prevent bird flu in poultry
Researchers are preparing to test a new potential line of defense against highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI in poultry farming. They will use a form of ultraviolet light called far-UVC, to see if it can kill HPAI, without harming birds on poultry farms.
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NewsMosaic nanoparticles deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against diverse coronaviruses
Researchers have developed a novel “mosaic” nanoparticle vaccine platform that successfully penetrates the mucus barrier to deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against a diverse array of coronaviruses, including highly evasive SARS-like and MERS-like strains.
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NewsMicroplastics may act as pollutant shuttles, carrying chemicals, pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes
A new review reveals how microplastics transport multiple pollutants across ecosystems and proposes a framework for identifying when these vector effects become serious ecological threats.
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NewsInternational award supports research into fern-microbe symbiosis
Dr Sophie de Vries will combine evolutionary genomics with experiments that pair ferns and different microbes, to investigate how plants fight off “foes” (diseases) at the same time as supporting their beneficial “friendships” (bacterial partners).
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NewsbZIP transcription factor AflHapX coordinates iron homeostasis and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus
Researchers have identified the bZIP transcription factor AflHapX in Aspergillus flavus by searching its genome with the HapX protein sequence from Aspergillus fumigatus. They discovered that AflHapX is critical for A. flavus’s adaptive response to both iron excess and iron starvation.
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NewsGerontological Society of America supports new immunization guidance
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) supports the 2026-27 respiratory season vaccine evidence review released by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with the American Medical Association.